fuonlyknew

Thanks so much for the chance to talk about my writing! I thought it might be helpful to share some things I wish I’d known as a beginning writer.  

1. 1. Just do it. It’s strange how reluctant we writers can be to actually sit down and do what we most want to do. I think it’s because the fear of doing it badly stops us. Try to produce something every day, even if it’s short.

I trick myself sometimes, telling myself, “Just write for 15 minutes and if it’s going nowhere you can stop.” Usually that carries me past the initial resistance and I get into the flow.

2. 2. Don’t expect it to be any good at first. What kept me from pursuing my writing dream for far too long was how cringe-inducing my first attempts were. Believing that a real writer with real talent would never produce such junk, I quickly gave up.

But as I learned more about the writing process, I discovered that, for the great majority of writers, first drafts require suspension of all judgment as you hack your way through thickets of tangled ideas and slog through swamps of mucky language toward the goal of getting something—anything!—on paper or on screen. Because once you have that first draft, you’re on your way. You can cut it, add to it, shape it, polish it, and make something truly worthwhile of it.

Also, it’s virtually certain that, along the way in that messy first draft, you’ll produce sentences, paragraphs, scenes, maybe whole chapters, that give you chills of joy and may even make you think, did this really come from me? 

Having realized all this, my self-made obstacles toppled and I was able to write my way through this trying first stage to produce five books – so far.

3. 3. Block negative self-talk. If, as you write, your inner disparager says something to you that you’d never say to a friend, tell it to get lost in your most vivid language, and keep on writing!
4. 4. Find a supportive writers’ group. We writers can only improve through criticism, but that criticism has to be, first, kind, and, second, insightful. A good writers’ group, whether in person or online, is an invaluable asset. Look for fellow writers to share work with, in local writers’ organizations, through colleges or the library, or on websites devoted to writing. (Writers Digest magazine publishes an annual guide to best websites for writers.)
5. 5. Filter feedback. At the same time as you need to be open to criticism, you also need to be selective. With my first effort at a novel, now in a bureau drawer never to emerge, I was a member of a group of smart and opinionated writers. Being a newbie, I accepted each of their critiques as a necessary change I needed to make. As a result, I gave up my own voice and vision in trying to please others, and the result was what could be expected from creativity by committee.

You’re the authority on your work. Be open to criticism, but weigh it carefully against your vision and your individual style. Reject any outright negativity; it reflects more on the limitations of the critic than on the work. Remember that reading taste is highly subjective.

6. 6. Read a lot. It will develop your inner ear for language and sense of pacing and form. You’ll discover what you love in a book or story or essay, and that love will find expression in your own work. If you have a particular genre you’re writing in, read widely in that genre and join online groups devoted to it.
7. Give yourself praise. No matter how a particular writing session may have gone, congratulate yourself for doing it. You wrote today. Tomorrow you’ll write again, a little or a lot better. You’re doing the work. You’re a writer.